


The Doctor and the Research Assistant

by vix_spes



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, Explicit Language, M/M, Romance, Sexual Content, Slash sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-06-24
Updated: 2008-06-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 12:40:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9896873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: AU. Non-magick. Harry Potter goes against his family’s wishes and takes a job as research assistant to the notoriously surly and reclusive academic Severus Snape. Will Harry be the person to capture the historian’s heart? Oneshot. Snarry slash.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from SeparatriX, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [HP Fandom](http://fanlore.org/wiki/HP_Fandom_\(archive\)), which was closed for health and financial reasons. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [HP Fandom collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/hpfandom/profile).

Summary: AU. Non-magick. Harry Potter goes against his family’s wishes and takes a job as research assistant to the notoriously surly and reclusive academic Severus Snape. Will Harry be the person to capture the historian’s heart? Oneshot. Snarry slash.

Disclaimer: Ok, so I think you all know the drill by now. I’m not J.K. Rowling. I’m neither blonde, rich or Scottish – I’m brunette, English and an impoverished student. Go figure.

Authors Note: This is a result of a rabid plot-bunny that hopped into my work one Sunday afternoon and bit me rather viciously. It was originally intended to be a 2000 word oneshot but instead it’s turned into something of an epic!! I’m writing this for my lovely beta Walking Through Shadows for being wonderful and simply for being her. Thanks darling! As always, please R and R!

Warnings: Explicit M/M relationship – you have been warned, please don’t complain for reading anyway!

XXXXXXXX

Harry stood outside the rather gothic-looking house absolutely petrified, despite the reassuring presence of his old Headmaster Albus Dumbledore. Harry was about to take up a position as research assistant to the notoriously surly academic Severus Snape.

Dr. Snape, for the man had two doctorates, had previously been the Chemistry teacher at Hogwarts Academy for Gifted Youngsters, the very same school that Harry had attended for seven years. However, rumour had it and the rumours had been confirmed by Dumbledore, that Snape had been forced into the Chemistry profession by his over-bearing father Tobias Snape. Snape’s first love had been history and, as soon as his father had died, he had resigned his teaching post, gained his degree and doctorate in record time before establishing himself as an author. An author in desperate need of an assistant and this is why Harry was stood outside of Dr. Snape’s house in Whitby.

Harry had just graduated from Hogwarts at the top of his class. He had the highest results since Severus himself in Chemistry, English, History, Latin, Philosophy and Politics, even edging the older man out in several subjects. Since Harry had no specific plans following his graduation, Albus viewed him as the best candidate for the job. Unfortunately, Harry’s family didn’t agree with the older man.

Harry’s parents James Potter and Lily Evans-Potter along with his godfathers Sirius Black and Remus Lupin had all attended Hogwarts and were contemporaries of Dr. Snape. They also all hated each other. Harry was completely unaware of the reasons as to why but the only person who had vaguely supported his decision had been Remus. Harry was also in the unfortunate position of having no friends to discuss his career choices with. His class abilities left him completely isolated from his peers. The one friendship that he had as a first year, with a girl called Hermione Granger, had collapsed as a result of her jealousy when the end of year exam results came in. When Hermione abandoned him, Harry withdrew even further into his studies which in turn caused him to become even more isolated from his peers. It didn’t help that he was universally loved by all of the teachers. Many of them had been prepared to love Harry simply because he was the child of two much-loved former students. But, when Harry first stepped foot into the halls of Hogwarts they fell in love with him on his own merits.

Physically, Harry had barely changed since he was eleven. He had inherited very few traits from his father other than the black colour of his hair and the habit of running his hands through his hair when he was nervous or exasperated. In contrast, he had inherited a great deal from the former Lily Evans. The most obvious features were his incredibly expressive green eyes, his high cheek bones, shy smile and slight stature. At just seventeen Harry was a fairly small 5’9” with a very slight frame and was unlikely to grow much more.

At this precise moment, the emerald green eyes he had inherited from his mother were flashing with a multitude of emotions. Predominant among them was nervousness along with a fair bit of determination. Harry was determined to make something of this job, especially considering the fact that he had gone against the wishes of his family and left the family home in the south of England and moved the three hundred odd miles north to the fishing town of Whitby. If Harry was honest with himself then he knew nothing about the place other than the fact that it had been the inspiration when Bram Stoker wrote Dracula. He did want this job though.

Severus Snape, despite only a short career in the literary world, had achieved critical acclaim with his first novel. He specialised writing about the ancient worlds; Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia and Egypt. Whilst there was a veritable rash of books about those periods of history, both factual and fiction, Snape’s books had cornered a niche in the market. Many authors writing styles were incredibly similar and many of them were written in a manner that was either immensely patronising or in a rather colloquial style. Snape’s style was neither. He wrote in the same way that he spoke; highly intelligent, both sarcastic and scathing at times, and using multi-syllabic words. He also had a tendency to assume that his reader’s already knew what he was writing about leaving him with a highly selected but devoted circle of fans.

Harry had read all four of Snape’s books when Albus had first talked to him about the possibility of a job. He had immediately been hooked. Whilst the subjects used were not the eras of history that Harry himself specialised in, he had to admit that they were factually perfect down to the tiniest little detail and were thoroughly gripping. He found himself unable to put the books down once he had started them until he had read them cover to cover. Harry looked up sharply as he heard the dull thud of the old-fashioned brass doorknocker. 

Severus Tobias Snape swore viciously as he heard his doorknocker. He had only remembered that his former headmaster and employer Albus Dumbledore was arriving that day with some former student that Albus intended him to employ. The older man was insistent that Severus needed to employ someone to help him with both his research, typing up his manuscripts and generally taking care of Severus himself. The older man had a tendency to get completely immersed in his work and forgot to both eat and sleep. It was here that Harry came in. His job was to cook and clean the house, help with any research that needed doing and type up whatever Severus wrote. The older man preferred to write his manuscripts by hand in pen and ink, only typing them up when they were required by his publishers. He also refused to use the editor that his publishers had provided, insisting that he was more than capable of editing his own works. He knew that he was his own harshest critic and if the work didn’t meet his usual exacting standards then it would be reworked until it did. 

He grumbled as the doorknocker went once more and made his way out of his study and down the hall, pausing to check that he looked presentable. He couldn’t help but grimace slightly at the sight that greeted him. Severus had never had a high opinion of himself and that hadn’t changed as he grew older. Facing him in the mirror was a face that was not classically handsome but was striking all the same. His face was dominated by a large aquiline nose that was framed by sharp cheekbones and deep onyx eyes that showed everything that Severus was feeling. His pale-skinned face was framed by shoulder length silky black hair that constantly escaped from the thong it was tied back with. Satisfied that he looked at least presentable in his black slacks and open-necked black shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. He made his way down the stairs and into the entrance hall before throwing open the front door to reveal the smiling visage of Albus Dumbledore but no sign of his supposed new assistant.

“Albus.” He nodded. “I was under the impression that you were bringing my supposed new assistant with you. Don’t tell me that they were so spineless that the idiot declined the job without even having met me?”

The sarcastic drawling question raised Harry’s hackles and increased his determination to make this job work. He stepped out from where he had admittedly been hiding behind Albus.

“No, the spineless idiot didn’t decline the job. I have to admit that I’ve never been accused of being spineless by someone I’ve never met.” Harry arched an eyebrow in challenge before holding out a hand. “I’m Harry; your new research assistant. It’s a pleasure to meet you Dr. Snape.”

Severus smirked inwardly. He had been worried that Albus would have brought some insipid little bimbo that had barely passed her exams but this young man looked as if he was going to be a firecracker. He stepped aside and gestured with his head.

“You had best come inside then. Albus, are you coming in or do you need to get back to the school?”

“I need to get back I’m afraid my boy. Good luck Harry. I’m sure you boys will get along wonderfully. Don’t worry about your family Harry, they’ll come round. Severus, play nicely, I know you’re capable of it.”

Harry watched in dismay as the jovial headmaster disappeared down the drive. Clutching his case tightly he stepped inside the dimly-lit hallway, suddenly more nervous than he’d ever been before. A voice drifted down the hall, startling him into action.

“You may want to shut the door. Leave your case in the hall and you can take it up to your room later. I will give you a tour of the house; do try to remember where things are.” At that Snape re-appeared just in front of Harry. “You never did give me your surname Mr….?”

Harry winced before answering. “Potter. Harry Potter.” He was surprised to hear a laugh; a bitter, mocking laugh but a laugh just the same.

“Potter.” Severus spat. “Let me guess, the son of James bloody-sodding Potter. So, who is your mother? The lovely Lily Evans? This is just what I needed.”

Harry flushed red at the man’s scathing words before deciding that he wasn’t going to be put off by them. “Yes, James Potter and Lily Evans are my parents but that does not mean that I am them. I did know that my parents and my godfathers couldn’t stand you but I have no idea why. You don’t even know me so please don’t judge me. I’ve gone against my family’s wishes in accepting this job and I didn’t come to defend myself.”

Severus raised an eyebrow and drawled a reply. “Indeed. You have my apology. So, if your family was so against you becoming my assistant why did you go ahead with your decision?”

“Truthfully?” At Severus’ nod he carried on talking. “I accepted this job because I wanted the opportunity to watch you work up close. You had the highest results that Hogwarts had ever seen in six subjects.”

“Had?”

Harry blushed a rather becoming shade of red. “Erm, yes, well I edged you out in English, Philosophy and Politics and I came very close to your results in Chemistry, History and Latin. That was the reason that Albus thought I’d be good candidate.”

“I have to admit that I’m impressed which is a rare occurrence in itself Mr Potter.”

“It’s Harry please. Mr Potter makes me think of my father. Besides, I think if I’m going to be working for you and living in your house it’s only fair for you to call me by my first name.”

“Very well…Harry. If you’d like to follow me, I’ll give you the tour of the house. The kitchen and utility room are downstairs. One this floor is the library, sitting room, music room and the snug. On the second floor is the guest room, bathroom, my bedroom and my study. The next floor will be yours and has a bedroom, bathroom, a study for your use and several spare rooms. The next floor is the attic. Satisfied?”

“Yes Dr. Snape. May I ask what this job will entail? Albus did explain but I would appreciate some more information.”

“Of course Mr….Harry. If you’d like to follow me into the library we’ll discuss things further.”

As they walked into the library Harry’s eyes widened. The whole room looked to Harry as if it was straight out of the pages of a Sherlock Holmes book. The décor was in a deep forest green with what looked to be heavy oak furniture. There was a large fireplace with two black leather wing-backed charis in front of it but the main focus of the room were the floor to ceiling bookcases that dominated it. Unable to help himself, Harry walked over to the closest shelf and, reaching out his hand, ran a finger along the spines. He reached out and picked up two books, flipping open the front covers before exclaiming in shock.

“These are first editions of Dracula and Frankenstein! Oh wow! They’re gorgeous and in such good condition.”

As he was talking Harry replaced the books and continued wandering, exclaiming softly every now and again.

Severus watched in approval, thinking that maybe he had finally found someone who was as passionate about his craft as he himself was. He shook his head to bring himself out of his musings and called out to the young man traversing his library. 

“Harry, if you’d like to take a seat, I can give you some more information about the job.” He waited until Harry was seated opposite him before he continued speaking. “Now, what precisely has Albus told you that this job will entail?”

Harry shifted uncomfortably, causing Severus to smirk. “I’m well aware that my former employer has a way with words and an almost insatiable appetite for gossip. You need not worry that I will be offended at anything you say.”

“Okay. Erm, the Headmaster, Albus, said that you were forced into being a Chemistry professor by your father but that it was History rather than Chemistry that was your first love. So, he said that as soon as your father died you left the Chemistry profession and went and got your degree and doctorate in History. You became a best-selling author which I already knew, and moved here. Apparently you’ve been struggling with the research for your latest novel and he seems to think that I can help. Oh, and he said that whenever you become involved in writing so you forget to look after yourself so I’m also to make sure that you eat and sleep properly.”

Harry was avoiding looking at the older man by the end of his monologue. He couldn’t believe that he had just said all of that to the man that he was expecting to hire him. He looked up as he heard a dry chuckle.

“Mr Potter, do not worry. That is precisely what I was expecting Albus to have told you. Now, you seem to be familiar with my novels so I’m presuming you know which periods of history that I write about?”

Harry nodded. “Yes sir. You specialise in the ancient civilisations; Rome, Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia.”

“That’s correct. However, this time, for my next novel, I’ve decided to branch out and write about another era that has always fascinated me; the crusades of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. Particularly, the crusade led by Richard the Lionheart.”

Curiosity sparked in the coal-dark depths as understanding dawned on Harry’s face. He elaborated in response to the silent question asked by one perfectly arched eyebrow.

“That’s the reason that Albus thought that I would be good at this job. The crusades are my speciality, more specifically the crusades of the twelfth century. I got full marks and extra credit on both my coursework and my exam papers. I did consider reading history at university but I couldn’t find a course that covered the crusades in enough depth.”

Harry stopped talking when he saw Severus shake his head and murmur something under his breath that sounded remarkably like ‘Meddling old fool’ although he quietened as he saw Harry watching him.

“Mr Pot – Harry. The hour is growing late. If you would like to take your case up to your room and unpack I shall make us some food.” Here he held up a hand to stall Harry’s protests. “I believe it is the least I can do. From tomorrow you shall be doing all of the cooking and you will need time to acclimatise yourself to your surroundings.”

Harry’s jaw simply dropped. “You mean I have the job?”

Severus inclined his head, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. “You have the job….Harry.”

As he hauled his case up the staircase, Harry couldn’t help the inane grin that spread across his face. He had got the job!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The next morning Harry woke early, nerves and excitement keeping him from his rest. Dressing quickly in jeans and a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, he quietly slipped down the stairs and into the basement kitchen. As he poked around in the fridge and the various cupboards he ascertained that there was plenty of choice for their morning meal and also that he had no idea what his new employer actually ate. Wanting something to do to pass the time, Harry started to make a full English breakfast with the supplies he found; scrambled eggs, baked beans, toast, sausages, tomatoes and mushrooms. He had finished cooking and was just placing the last few items on the table when he heard movements from the doorway. He spun sharply and saw Dr. Snape leaning casually against the doorframe, dressed identically to the previous day.

Harry couldn’t help the blush that spread across his cheeks. “Erm, good morning Dr. Snape. I’m sorry, I just forgot to ask what you normally eat and I wasn’t sure what you liked so I made something of everything.”

The older man moved gracefully over to the table and seated himself. “Do not trouble yourself too much. I am not a picky eater; I will eat most foods. Nevertheless, your thoughtfulness is appreciated. Now, I do not expect you to start as my research assistant for several days. I need to have some idea of where I want to go. So, you may have the next two days to acquaint yourself with the town. Whitby may not be a large town but I presume it is highly different to where you’ve been living.”

Harry smiled slightly. “Thanks. I had been a bit worried about that. I mean, we lived in the country when I was younger but then we moved to London to live closer to Uncle Sirius and I’ve been at Hogwarts for the last seven years. It is kind of nice to be away from Scotland though. Hopefully it’s a bit warmer here.”

Severus snorted disdainfully. “Harry, you are now living in Whitby, North Yorkshire. Whilst admittedly warmer than Scotland it is still likely to be colder than your Southern sensibilities will be able to cope with.”

Severus started as he realised that he was teasing the young man in his presence. Thoroughly disconcerted he stood and swept out of the room without another word.

Harry simply sat there at the table, completely thrown for a loop and not quite knowing what he had done. Deciding that he simply could not sit around all day he cleaned away the breakfast dishes before collecting his key and slipping out of the house and heading towards the town. Upstairs, Severus breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the door shut behind his new assistant. The boy hadn’t even been here a day and he was already affecting him. With a resolute sigh he turned back to the large tome he was reading, determined to think no more of the subject.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Barely a month later and Severus’ resolve was starting to falter. Harry Potter had slotted himself into the older man’s life quite nicely and Severus had to reluctantly admit that Albus Dumbledore had been right and that he had been desperately in need of an assistant. He could not conceive how he had previously coped without the young man.

Harry kept all of his research material in comprehensible order and neatly filed away. Similarly, all of the books he was using had had their specific pages marked with coloured index stickers rather than messy scraps of paper. Where he had previously existed on poorly heated soup and hastily thrown together sandwiches he now received gourmet meals, all cooked to perfection by his assistant. He had no idea where Harry had learnt to cook but he certainly had no complaints.

He did feel guilty though; Harry had now been living with him and in Whitby for a month now and Severus still had not seen any sign of a social life or of any new friendships. The younger man received no post bar correspondence with his family. Severus resolved to query that situation that evening as they ate. Hearing Harry moving around on the floor above he buried himself back in his research deciding to work through the afternoon until dinner. He remained thoroughly engrossed until he heard Harry’s footsteps coming up the stairs rather than coming down them as he had expected. There was a soft knock on the door and then the door opened just enough for Harry’s head to poke around the door.

“Dr. Snape? I’m sorry to bother you sir but dinner is ready. It can wait if you want to finish what you’re doing though.”

Severus put his pen down and stretched, stiff after sitting still for such a long time. “No, don’t worry Harry, now is fine. I believe I have done quite enough work this afternoon.”

As they walked down the stairs Harry turned and spoke. “I’m sorry, it’s nothing fancy. It’s just aubergine parmigiana, ciabatta and strawberries. I need to go food shopping. I haven’t had time yet and I was planning on going tomorrow.”

His almost panicked babbling was stopped by Severus simply holding up a hand. “Harry, stop. Whatever it is will be fine. Before you arrived I existed solely on soup and sandwiches. Really, with you here I’m becoming spoilt.”

Harry blushed and smiled shyly and they completed their descent down their stairs and their meal in relative silence.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

The next day, the two men had eaten breakfast and whilst Severus had become thoroughly engrossed in his research once more, Harry had gone into Whitby to get the food that they needed. Severus looked up with a scowl as he heard someone knocking loudly and insistently on his front door. For a moment he was irritated and wondered why Harry wasn’t answering the door before he remembered that Harry had gone out. He stood up swiftly, nearly tipping the chair over, and thundered down the stairs. He yanked the door open and glared at the unsuspecting, innocent postman stood on the other side of the door.

“Yes?”

“Sorry to bother you sir but you have these parcels. I’m afraid they wouldn’t fit through the letterbox. Is it the young man’s birthday?”

Severus looked slightly nonplussed so the postman elaborated. 

“The young man that lives here now. Harry is it? Is it his birthday today?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to my work as I’m sure you must also.”

Severus snatched the parcels and letters from the postman before slamming the door and dumping everything onto the table in the hall. He couldn’t believe that he had never asked Harry when his birthday was and the younger man had never mentioned it. Indeed, Harry had made breakfast for the both of them before going into Whitby to run some errands for Severus and to do the food shopping. It was perhaps this rather than anything else that Harry had done that set him apart from his father in Severus’ mind. The James Potter that Severus had attended Hogwarts with would have made sure that the entire school knew the precise date of his birth at least several weeks in advance. On the day itself he would’ve announced to all and sundry the presents he had received. He was slightly disturbed to find himself saddened by the relatively tiny stack of presents and cards that Harry had received. 

He attempted to return to his work but found himself distracted by the pathetic arrivals downstairs. Finally, just before lunch he gave up on attempting to work and, taking up his coat stalked out of the house and down the road, determined to buy his assistant a present and dinner that evening. He stopped off at a well-respected restaurant that was known throughout the town for its good food and civilised company. Harry may be turning eighteen but Severus had no intention of taking Harry to one of the louder, more popular bars or restaurants that populated the harbour front. With their meal sorted, Severus made his way to an out-of-the-way second-hand bookshop where the proprietor was an old acquaintance. If he was honest with himself then he didn’t know his assistant well enough to buy him anything other than books. He also had a notion as to which books he wanted to purchase. To his mind, no historian was worth their salt unless they had copies of Homer and Virgil in the original Greek and Latin. To his relief the shopkeeper had copies of both books in editions that Severus wanted, meaning that he didn’t have to attempt to think of another suitable gift.

Satisfied with his purchases, he bought some wrapping paper and made his way home, wondering when he had become so soft that he was concerned that he didn’t know that it was his assistants birthday. Upon returning home he was relieved to discover that Harry was still out and even more relieved that he hadn’t walked into the younger man whilst in Whitby. He swiftly climbed the stairs to his study where he wrapped the present and sat back down at his desk. 

Fully satisfied that he had done his part in celebrating Harry’s birthday he was able to sit down and carry on with productive research. He worked solidly all afternoon, completely oblivious to the slammed door that heralded Harry’s return and the ensuing knock on his study door. Therefore, when he felt a hand lightly touch his shoulder he jumped like a startled rabbit. He spun around, ready to verbally flay Harry but his angry retorts died on his lips as he saw the apology clearly written on Harry’s expressive features.

“I’m so sorry Dr. Snape. I didn’t mean to startle you. I knocked and called out several times but you can’t have heard me. I’m sorry it’s taken me so long but Whitby was very busy today. Is there anything particular that you’d like for dinner? I managed to get some fresh fish from the harbour if you’d like that?”

Severus smirked causing an adorably confused look to appear on Harry’s face. ‘You did not just think of your assistant as adorable’ Severus’ inner voice berated him.

“Thank you Harry but that won’t be necessary. I believe that it’s your birthday today? Your eighteenth? In which case, I will be taking you out for dinner to celebrate the fact. Dress smartly. We have reservations at seven.”

Severus had turned back towards his desk and was thus completely unprepared for what happened next. Harry threw caution to the wind and decided to be completely impulsive for once. He flung himself at Severus, hugging the man and pressing a brief kiss to his check, whispering “Thank you” before disappearing from the room and shutting the door behind him.

Once he knew that Harry had definitely gone, Severus groaned and sank back into his chair, running his hands through his hair. He was completely screwed. That single action had clarified what he had been trying to deny; he was attracted to Harry. He was attracted to his assistant. It was possibly the worst thing that could have happened to him. However, something positive came out of it. With his realisation that he was attracted to Harry came the thing that Severus had been searching for; a plot. It would be radically different to what Severus had previously written but his gut instinct was telling him it would work. An epic tale of politics, religion, warfare and possibly love as an English lord takes the crusade of Richard the Lionheart accompanied by his squire.

Knowing that with his realisation he wouldn’t get anymore work done Severus shut all of his books and turned the lights off before leaving the room. He was about to walk into his bathroom when he heard Harry’s raised voice from downstairs. His curiosity was piqued and unable to help himself he silently walked closer to the top of the stairs so that he could hear better. Looking down he could see Harry pacing up and down whilst talking on his mobile. Shamelessly and not feeling remotely guilty, after all he needed to know if there was something wrong with his assistant, he listened in on Harry’s side of the conversation. Already he didn’t like what he was hearing, or seeing for that matter. Harry was looking and sounding more and more upset with every spoken word.

“No Dad, I’m sorry but I’m not quitting this job.”

There was a slight pause as he waited and listened to James.

“I don’t care that you hated him at school dad but maybe he’s changed. I don’t care what you remember but Dr. Snape has been really kind to me and I love working here.”

There was another pause that ended with a sharp outburst from Harry.

“No! I’m not going to listen to this. I’m not his slave. Yes, I have plenty of time to write my own stuff. Could you put mum on please?”

A few seconds later;

“Hi mum. Thank you for my present.”

“I know he doesn’t mean it but he’s just such an insensitive git half the time. Uncle Siri is as well. I don’t know how you and Uncle Remy have put up with them for so long. Oh! Could you thank them for the presents they sent? And thank Uncle Remy for the extra present.”

An exasperated sigh.

“Mum! You don’t have to fuss so much. I’m getting along fine with Dr. Snape. All of those cooking lessons you and Uncle Remy gave me have paid off. Yes mum. No. I don’t know. I’m kinda confused actually. I didn’t think he knew my birth date but when I went to ask him what he wanted for dinner he said that he’d heard that it was my birthday and that he was talking me out for dinner.”

There was another silence as Harry listened to Lily at the other end of the line before his mouth dropped open in shock.

“MUM! I can’t believe you just said that. No, there is nothing going on between Dr. Snape and I. He’s simply my boss. Well, yes, I agree. He is gorgeous but we’re not even going to go there. What do you mean ‘what does he look like now?’”

It was at this point that Severus thought his best option was to leave. He had no desire to be caught eavesdropping and Harry’s admission that he found his boss attractive had left Severus with problems of his own.

That evening both men dressed with more care than usual, although both would deny it if asked. Severus chose a dressier pair of black slacks and swapped his black cotton shirt for a black silk shirt. Harry had abandoned his jeans and cotton shirt for smart black trousers and an emerald green silk shirt. A silver set piece of malachite on a leather thong hung in the hollow of his throat and his hair, normally tied back, hung down to his shoulders.

Severus was uncharacteristically nervous as he waited in the library for Harry to arrive. He had never been more acutely aware of his appearance or his personality and his perceived faults. He knew that had he not had his earlier revelation or heard Harry say that he found him attractive he wouldn’t be having problems. Determined not to mope around like a love-struck school girl he sat down in his favourite chair and resolutely reached for the book lying on the side table. He looked up, having read the same page five times yet not taken anything in, and realised that Harry had entered the room without him noticing. As he ran his eyes appreciatively over the younger man’s slender form it was all he could do to stop himself from dragging the young man up the stairs into Severus’ room and ravishing him. He dismissed the thought out of hand, thinking that being ravished by his boss was the last thing that Harry would want for his eighteenth birthday.

“So, you do own clothing other than jeans. I have to admit that I was starting to wonder.”

Harry blushed hotly. “Yes well. You said that I had to dress smartly and I thought that this was the most suitable outfit that I have.” There was a hesitant pause. “Erm, if you don’t mind me asking, where are we going?”

Severus spoke at the same time as guiding Harry out of the door. “We’re going to a small family run Italian restaurant called Valentino’s. It’s small and out of the way, not one of these large, themed establishments on the harbour front. I apologise if that is what you were expecting.” The last was said a little stiffly.

Harry smiled shyly. “No, I don’t mind. I’m not too fond of the loud places anyway. I guess if it’s quiet that means we could talk? Have you got any ideas of where you want to go with your novel yet?”

Severus nodded absentmindedly. “Yes I have actually. I’ll tell you when we arrive at the restaurant.”

Harry watched with curious eyes as Severus directed him to an area of Whitby that he’d never visited before. His eyes widened as he saw the cosy little restaurant tucked away between two antique shops, the candlelight casting a soft sheen onto the pavement outside. Severus opened the door and ushered Harry in first. He greeted the rather rotund woman that came towards them in rapid, fluent Italian and was obviously a favoured customer as they were immediately shown to a secluded table towards the back of the restaurant. Harry’s cheeks grew hot as he suddenly realised just how romantic the atmosphere was and deliberately stopped thinking about it. Instead he stared down at the menu feeling completely and utterly socially inept.

Having lost his only friend six years ago he had never socialised with his peers and despite knowing that he was gay he had never had a boyfriend or a romantic relationship of any sort. His only social excursions had been in the company of his parents and godfathers. Therefore, he was woefully unprepared for dinner with a man such as Severus.

Severus picked up very quickly that something wasn’t right and there was a glimmer of concern in his dark eyes.

“Harry, is there something wrong? You don’t seem yourself. I apologise if I’ve made you feel uncomfortable.”

“No, I’m sorry Dr. Snape. It’s not you. I suppose it’s just the situation. I didn’t have any friends at Hogwarts or a boyfriend so I’ve only really interacted with my parents and my godfathers.”

Severus filed away the comment about a boyfriend to examine later and instead focused on the rest of the speech, realising with a jolt just how similar he and Harry were.

“I completely understand Harry. I was in much the same position until I started teaching at Hogwarts. Since I left Hogwarts though, I have become even worse. If I do go out now then it’s by myself. Now, if you’re ready, may I suggest that we order? We can then turn our attention to work.”

Harry nodded and the two men ordered their dinner with Harry shyly and hesitantly agreeing to Severus ordering a bottle of wine. Five minutes later, he had a glass of wine at his elbow and the starter had just been served.

Severus had just finished his explanation of what genres he wanted to include in his novel and had emphasised the fact that it would be a radical departure from his previous novels when he realised that Harry hadn’t touched his starter.

“I’m terribly flattered that you find me so interesting but please, eat your starter before it goes cold otherwise you’ll become as bad as me.”

Harry blushed and hastily took a mouthful, choking slightly and necessitating a gulp of wine so that he could breathe once more. As he realised what he’d just done his blush turned from a pale rose to a bright red; he was absolutely mortified. He could not believe that he had just done that. His mortification was compounded by the fact that he was slowly coming to the realisation that he was attracted to or even falling in love with Severus. To his horror, he realised that he was on the verge of crying and immediately pushed his chair away from the table.

“I’m sorry sir. If you’ll just excuse me for a minute.” With his excuses made Harry practically ran to the toilets and once there locked himself inside one of the cubicles.

Severus stared after him utterly bewildered until Maria, the woman who had shown them to their table, took pity on him and walked over.

“Severus! What did you say to your lover? He looked as though he was about to cry.”

Severus was immediately on the defensive. “Lover? What do you mean lover? Why would you say that?”

The woman looked completely taken aback at the speed and tone of his response.

“I meant nothing by it but it was the obvious answer. You’ve been coming in here for almost ten years and the only person you’ve ever brought here is the old man with the beard. Today, you pre-book for the first time ever and bring gorgeous younger man with you. What am I supposed to think?”

Severus simply sputtered in shock. “Harry isn’t my lover; he’s my assistant. Albus, my old employer, decided that I needed an assistant to help with my research and apparently to look after me. To be honest, I hated the idea but he’d been wonderful.” He scowled at the grin on the woman’s face. “”What are you smiling at?”

“He may not be your lover now but he soon will be. You can’t take your eyes off him and he’s pretty smitten with you. Now, are you just going to sit and deny that you find him attractive or are you going to go and see why your assistant is crying in the toilets?”

“What? Why didn’t you say so?”

Maria had no time to respond as Severus had already left the table in a rush. He entered the toilets just as Harry was leaving the cubicle, his eyes slightly red and swollen. He had been scrubbing them but his hand dropped guiltily as he looked up and caught Severus’ gaze dead on.

“Dr. Snape? I’m sorry; I just got something stuck in my eye.”

Severus simply raised an eyebrow and Harry amended his statement.

“Ok, so I didn’t have anything in my eye; I just didn’t want to start crying in the middle of a restaurant.”

“I cannot believe that I am about to hold a conversation in a public amenity but it is more private than outside under the scrutiny of other customers. What precisely happened between me telling you to eat and you consuming one mouthful, which you choked on, to make you cry?”

“I’m sorry. You must be regretting bringing me here. You’ve been nothing but nice to me; bringing me out for dinner when you didn’t have to. All I’ve done is screw things up and embarrass you.”

Severus was perplexed. “Harry, how on earth have you embarrassed me? Of course I don’t regret bringing you out. Now, make yourself presentable again and come and finish your starter. The wine will be getting warm whilst your starter gets cold. Besides, I need your opinion on the plot and whether or not you feel there is enough material available for research.”

Harry nodded gratefully. “Thank you Dr. Snape. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Severus nodded and left the room quickly but without being too obvious. Even with red, swollen eyes and silvery tear tracks running down his cheeks, Harry was still a highly tempting young man. Severus returned to their table and took a fortifying drink of wine; maybe he would have to order that second bottle.

True to his word, Harry returned minutes later, still with tell-tale reddened eyes but no longer looking as though he would burst into tears at any minute. He smiled self-consciously as he slipped into his seat and started eating his starter. Severus nodded his head approvingly and followed suit with all conversation being suspended until they had finished eating. As soon as their plates had been cleared Severus found himself fixed in Harry’s gaze.

“I’m very sorry about all of this Dr. Snape. I know that I’ve already apologised so that was the last one you’ll hear about this, I promise. But, you said that you would tell me about the plot that you came up with.”

Severus inclined his head. “That I did. Now, as I said previously, this is a radical departure from the novels that I have previously written but it felt right. Whereas previously I have focused on one subject; politics, religion, education and such-like, here I have decided to write something that includes the whole spectrum. My latest tale will follow an English lord through politics, religion, warfare and possibly love as he and his squire take the crusade of Richard the Lionheart.”

As soon as he had divulged his plot, Severus felt curiously deflated and tremendously apprehensive. He took great interest in his glass of wine whilst Harry turned the idea over in his head. He was so engrossed in not looking at Harry that he jumped when he felt the young man’s hand on his.

“Dr. Snape? You looked as though you were away with the fairies.”

Severus managed a weak smile but all he really wanted to know was what his assistant thought of the plot. He looked up and felt a huge burst of relief as he saw Harry’s face. ‘He’s smiling. Surely that’s good?’

“I like it.” Harry’s initial announcement was simple. “I think it will definitely work. Yes, it’s different but to be honest, your other books were brilliant and this is kind of like a combination of them so it’s going to be great. Oh! And I think there shouldn’t ‘possibly’ be love in it. Love should definitely be in it.”

“You think so?” Severus drawled with one impossibly raised eyebrow.

“Yes!” Came Harry’s emphatic answer. “Besides,” he said, blushing furiously, “regardless of what people say, everybody enjoys a good romance.”

“Indeed.” Was the only answer Severus gave as at that precise moment their main course arrived.

Both men dug in with relish and once again all conversation was halted until they had both made sizeable dents in their plates. Harry placed his cutlery on his plate and captured Severus with a thoughtful look.

“So, now you have your plot idea, what do you want me to do? If anything?”

“On the contrary, I do need you to help. You were hired as my research assistant were you not? My inclinations for research tend to run more towards politics and social structure. I admit that I can find religion slightly tedious. Therefore, if you don’t mind, can I leave you to research the religious side and the warfare?”

Harry nodded eagerly. “Of course you can. I’d love to. Erm, I know that you have that huge library and I’ve explored it but not extensively. Do you have much research material on the crusades?”

“Hmm, you may have a point there.” Severus mused as he tapped a finger against his lips. “Most of my books cover earlier civilisations. Of course I, and by extension you, have permission to use the libraries and archives at both York and Durham universities but that would mean travelling.”

“Erm, well if you wouldn’t mind, mum and Uncle Remy are coming up to Leeds at the weekend so he can give a lecture. I have loads of books on the crusades, good ones as well, and maybe they could bring them with them? Or not, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have suggested it. I know you don’t like them.” He hurriedly added at the end.

“Harry, hush. Whilst admittedly I never got on with your mother or Remus it was not them that I had the problem with; it was your father and Black. If they are willing to bring the books then I would be very grateful. Thank you. It was a kind offer.”

They spent the rest of the meal in quiet conversation and by the time they arrived back at the house Harry was more than content with the way that his birthday had turned out. He had thanked Dr. Snape and turned to make his way up the stairs when he felt the older man reach out and grasp his wrist.

“Harry, wait. I have one more thing for you. It’s in the library.”

Harry followed curiously, hypersensitive to the hand that was still firmly wrapped around his wrist. As they walked into the library Harry’s attention was immediately drawn to a wrapped parcel placed on the coffee table between the two wing-back chairs. Severus realised where Harry’s attention had been drawn to and smirked before gesturing to the item.

“Go on then. It is a present for you.”

As Harry’s face lit up, Severus felt incredibly pleased with himself that he had taken the extra effort to go into Whitby and buy him something. However, the pleasure came hand in hand with anxiety as he worried that Harry wouldn’t like what Severus had chosen for him. Almost without knowing it, Severus held his breath, hoping that Harry liked what Severus had picked for him. As he looked on, Harry sat down in one of the chairs and slowly started to peel off the paper. It had turned out to look rather impressive Severus thought to himself, feeling rather pleased. He was even more pleased when he saw the look of delight on Harry’s face when he finally reached the present. 

Harry’s face lit up and his eyes positively sparkled. As he watched his assistant, Severus found himself having to discreetly adjust his clothing; Harry looked positively ethereal. 

“Oh! Homer and Virgil, in the original! Oh, these are wonderful. Thank you Dr. Snape. You really didn’t have to get me anything. I mean, you already took me out for dinner and that was lovely but this is very special. Thank you.” As soon as he’d finished speaking Harry yawned widely, quickly bringing his hand up to cover his mouth. “I’m sorry, I’m very tired. It’s probably a good idea for me to go to bed. Thank you for everything, sir. It’s been wonderful.”

Harry gathered up his new books and started to make his way out of the room before stopping and retracing his steps. Slowly, he walked back over to Severus and stopped directly in front of his employer. Harry took a deep breath and reached up and kissed the older man on the cheek, trying not to react due to the close proximity and gave a breathy “Thank you” before making his way out of the room and up to his room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time that Saturday came around Harry was becoming increasingly nervous. The day after his birthday Harry had rung his mum and asked if she and Remus would mind bringing up his books at the weekend when they came up north for Remus’ lecture. Lily had agreed reluctantly and Harry knew that the reluctance was due to his dad’s influence. Remus had agreed wholeheartedly as he had read Severus’ published work and although he hadn’t mentioned anything to Harry, Remus was positive that something was happening between his godson and his employer.

Remus’ lecture was due to occur in Leeds on the Saturday afternoon at the university. Remus had made a career for himself as a guest lecturer and author in the world of Soviet history. Despite their preferred eras being more than five hundred years apart, Remus and Severus at least had their chosen fields in common. Once his lecture had finished the two of them would drive up to Whitby via Pickering and arrive at Snape Grange an hour and a half later. It had been agreed that they would come to the Grange for dinner, which Harry would have cooked, and to drop the books off before going to a local hotel for the night. The next day, Severus had given Harry the morning off and the plan was for Harry to spend the morning with his mum and his uncle before going out for lunch and then returning in the afternoon to help Severus once more with research.

Although Severus had reassured Harry that it was not Lily or Remus that he had a problem with, the teenager couldn’t help but feel apprehensive. He knew that Remus wouldn’t be a problem and the lecturer would get on well with his fellow historian but he worried about his mother. Years ago she wouldn’t have been a problem but he knew that his dad had probably been working on her. Besides, he knew the real problem for Lily would be the fact that he was starting to find his boss more than just attractive. 

On the Saturday morning, Harry had woken up and been to the market before Severus had even woken up. He had been to the fish market and managed to get the seafood that he needed in order to make the dinner. The fish had come directly off the boats in the early hours of Saturday morning and, as early as Harry was there, he had the choice of whatever he wanted. He was up so early that, even with the amount of time he spent dithering over wine, he was still back before Severus had even exited his room for the bathroom. 

By the time that Severus came downstairs, Harry had cooked a full English breakfast as well as porridge and various fruits and a pot of coffee. Upon entering the room, Severus stopped dead and just stared at the food that covered the kitchen table. 

“Harry, would you mind telling me why there is so much food on the table? Neither of us will be able to eat that much.” Severus stared in disbelief at Harry who was still completely and utterly engrossed in cooking. “Harry, are you still cooking?”

“I’m not cooking. I’m preparing the dessert for tonight. I’ve already been to the fish market this morning and picked up the things that I need and been to the market and the shops.”

Severus sat down at the table and started to serve himself from the plates that were laid out. “Precisely what time were you up this morning Harry? It’s barely nine am now, and you say that you’ve already done all of that. Your mother and Remus are coming to see you. It would have been simpler for us to take them out for dinner somewhere in town.”

Harry shook his head violently as he spooned cream on top of the bowl and followed it with shavings of dark chocolate. “That wouldn’t have worked. It would be much worse to have to deal with awkward silences in a restaurant than it would be here. Plus, hopefully the fact that we’re in your home will mean that mum and Uncle Remy are more respectful and make you feel less uncomfortable.”

Once he finished speaking, Harry covered the bowl with cling-film and placed it in the fridge and made his way over to the table. Feeling highly self-conscious he took his plate and helped himself to the food, aware of the fact that black eyes were following his every move. The more time that he spent at Snape Grange, the more he became aware of his attraction to his employer. It had started out simply as respect and admiration for the academic but Harry had quickly realised just how attractive he found the older man’s black hair and eyes with things coming to a head on Harry’s birthday when the man took him out for dinner. It was at this point that Harry admitted to himself that he simply wasn’t attracted to Dr. Snape; he had fallen in love with the man. Suddenly, Harry couldn’t eat anymore, his appetite had completely vanished, and he made his excuses and disappeared from the table. 

When Harry failed to return after fifteen minutes or so Severus gave up waiting and returned to his study and the book that he was currently scouring for information on the Knights Templar and their involvement during Richard’s crusade. He quickly found himself engrossed and looked up with some surprise at a knock on the door to discover that it was already one pm. Knowing that it would be Harry he called for him to enter and was surprised when he heard a brief fumble before Harry opened the door and entered carrying a tray of food. As was his wont when he was nervous the first words out of Harry’s mouth were an apology.

“I’m very sorry Dr. Snape, I know that you don’t normally eat up here but the kitchen’s such a mess at the moment that I didn’t think it was fair for me to expect you to eat in there. It’s not much either I’m afraid – just salad, but then tonight’s dinner will be quite rich and so I thought…”

Harry trailed off as Severus held his hand up to ask for silence.

“Harry, please stop apologising for every little thing. I’m not going to crucify you if I have to eat in my study rather than in the kitchen.” There was a pause as he cast an eye over the tray of food. “There only appears to be one portion here; have you already eaten? You are more than welcome to eat up here with me – you don’t have to sit in the kitchen.”

“Thank you for the offer but I’m fine where I am.”

Severus narrowed his eyes; something seemed off with Harry’s statement. “You’re fine in that you don’t mind eating in a filthy kitchen or you’re fine in that you have no intention of eating any lunch at all?”

“The latter. I can never eat when I’m nervous. I always feel as though I’m going to be physically sick. Hopefully I’ll be able to eat tonight.”

Severus felt a pang of sympathy for his assistant. He knew that Harry was nervous simply because of the fact that Severus hadn’t gotten on with Harry’s family at Hogwarts. For the first time, with the tangible evidence in front of him, he realised just how much it was costing Harry to work for him. Reluctantly, he let Harry’s eating habits slide and changed the subject. 

“So, what time are you expecting your mother and Dr. Lupin? Have they provided you with an approximate time of arrival?”

Harry looked thoughtful for several minutes. “Well, Remy’s supposed to be giving two lectures. One is from 12-2 and then one from 3-5. It’s about an hour and a half’s drive from Leeds to Whitby so if they leave on time they should be here by half past six or seven. I was planning on having dinner for half past seven.” Harry suddenly had a rush of insecurity and looked rather shy. “Oh! I’m sorry, is that okay with you? I’ve just gone ahead and decided a time and food without even consulting you.”

Severus sighed, knowing that he needed to break the younger man of his tendency to over-apologise. “You know that any decision you make regarding this is perfectly fine. As for the food, in the last five weeks have you know me to turn my nose up at any culinary delight you’ve produced? I may have a doctorate in Chemistry but that doesn’t mean that I am capable of concocting dishes that are actually edible. In this area I will quite happily bow to your superior knowledge.”

As the sly comment made Harry blush Severus could have kicked himself; Harry was attractive anyway but when he blushed Severus’ mind had a tendency to conjure wicked scenarios that enable him to discover just how much of Harry’s body the blush covered.

Harry squirmed slightly and made a mumbled comment about getting back to work and quickly exited the room, his footsteps sounding loudly on the wooden staircase. Focusing his mind away from Harry with some difficulty Severus turned his mind back to the Templars and their political power in the Holy Land. Once again he lost himself completely in the text and was only roused when a soft knock came and Harry’s head popped around the door.

“Dr. Snape? I’m sorry to bother you but mum’s just called to say that they’re about half an hour away.”

“Thank you Harry, I hadn’t realised it was quite that late. What time is it?”

“It’s half past six sir. You don’t have to be here when they arrive. I’m hardly going to be offended if you only eat with us. If that’s what you would prefer then that is fine.”

“Harry, it is fine. I’ll just go shower and change and I’ll meet you downstairs. Is everything ready? Are you ready?”

Harry nodded before grimacing slightly. “Is it really bad that I’m wishing tonight was over already?”

Severus couldn’t help himself and laughed, enjoying the surprise and delight on Harry’s face. 

“Yes Harry, I am capable of laughter.” He mocked slightly. “Go on, go downstairs and wait in case they’re early.”

Harry nodded and his head disappeared around the door before it shut quietly.

Half an hour later, when they heard a knock on the front door, Severus had showered and changed and was firmly ensconced in his favourite chair reading a volume of Byron’s poetry, Harry a fidgeting bunch of nerves opposite him. Severus was feeling rather smug having realised that Harry hadn’t made as much effort with his attire for dinner with his mother than he had for dinner with Severus. However, the smugness didn’t last long as a traitorous part of his brain (that sounded remarkably like Tobias Snape) piped up that Severus had taken him out for dinner and so of course he would have. Severus ruthlessly quashed the voice and gestured to Harry who rather resembled a startled deer.

“Well go on then, answer the door. They haven’t come to see me; they’re here for you.”

Harry smiled weakly and moved through into the hall. Severus heard him open the door and the subsequent feminine squeal followed by a deep chuckle that definitely wasn’t Harry and must have been Remus. There were hushed voices and then Harry appeared in the doorway of the library leading two people who were very familiar to Severus. To his amusement Lily Potter and Remus Lupin had changed very little from their Hogwarts days although, he supposed, neither had he.

They all stared at each other looking slightly awkward until Harry cleared his throat and shifted nervously on his feet.

“Right, erm mum, Uncle Remy this is Dr. Severus Snape, my boss. Dr. Snape, this is my mum Lily Potter and my godfather Remus Lupin.”

Lily smiled weakly at Severus but Remus was the epitome of friendliness and held out his hand.

“Dr. Snape, it’s a pleasure to meet you at last. I have to admit that I’ve read your work and must commend you on your success. I am rather surprised that I haven’t met you on the lecturing circuit. Do you not lecture at all?”

Severus shook the other man’s hand, thinking that perhaps things wouldn’t be as awkward as he and Harry had feared. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. If you’re on the lecturing circuit does that make you Dr. Lupin or Professor Lupin?”

Remus chuckled ruefully. “For my sins I’m afraid it’s Dr. Lupin. Please, call me Remus. I’ve had enough of being called Dr. Lupin today.”

Severus noticed that Harry was in conversation with his mother and looked distinctly uncomfortable. “Harry, why don’t you go and check that dinner is going to be on time? Mrs Potter, you are more than welcome to stay here. Remus, perhaps we could go and retrieve the books that you brought with you?”

As the three men exited the room, Lily Potter was left standing by herself in the empty library. She hated the fact that she was seeing her son for the first time in five weeks and she didn’t know what to say. She could clearly see that Harry loved it here and she hated the fact that she wished he was unhappy. Whilst Remus and Severus brought in four crates of books and disappeared again she wandered the library, pulling various books off the shelves and only turning around when she heard Harry’s softly spoken “Mum?”

She turned and smiled at him, noticing the nervousness written in his posture. 

“Do you want to come through to the dining room? Dinner’s pretty much ready. I’ve already told Uncle Remy and Dr. Snape. They’ll come through as soon as they’ve brought in the rest of the books.”

With that Harry led her into the sitting room which had been transformed into a dining room for the evening. The two older gentlemen joined them within minutes and conversation dwindled to social niceties and talk of history as Harry disappeared to the kitchen periodically and they ate their way through the stunning three course meal that Harry had prepared.

Once dessert was finished with, Harry took the dirty plates down to the kitchen accompanied by Lily, leaving Remus and Severus together. To their delight there was no awkwardness and hadn’t been all night. Both men had been pleasantly surprised by how much they had in common and how easily the conversation had flowed. Realising that Harry was not hurrying back from the kitchen and assuming that he was taking advantage of clearing up to talk to his mum privately, Severus indicated for Remus to follow him into the library. Once there, Severus poured both men a glass of brandy and gestured for Remus to take the seat that was usually occupied by Harry. He groaned inwardly as he saw the gleam of speculation in the other historian’s amber eyes.

“Alright, what do you want to know? You’re looking at me with a predatory gleam in your eye. I’m presuming that this is something you don’t want Mrs Potter or Harry to know about seeing as it only appeared once they had vacated the room.”

Remus chuckled. “Are you always this suspicious Severus? It’s not one of the most attractive personality traits. I’ll be honest with you. I want to know what your intentions towards my godson are. You can deny the fact that you are attracted to him all you want but the truth is that he had been here barely a month when you took him out for dinner for his birthday and your eyes have barely left him all evening.”

Severus took a large gulp of brandy. “Oh Gods, it’s so wrong. Yes, I find him attractive but nothing can come of it. I mean, he works for me and lives in my house – if something went wrong then it would be disastrous and I’d end up losing him. Besides, the most obvious problem is that I went to school in the same year as you and his parents. I’m old enough to be his father never mind his lover. No, Harry deserves someone his own age; it would be more satisfactory for him.”

“Has it never occurred to you that Harry would struggle even more in a relationship with someone his own age than he would with somebody older? Harry has always been mature for his age. In all probability he would flourish in a relationship with someone older than him. He’s always struggled in friendships with people his age and hasn’t had a friend, a true friend, since he was eleven years old. The two of you have a great deal in common what with your shared interests and I know that Harry finds you attractive. For that matter, I don’t think that you find him unattractive….your eyes certainly haven’t left him all evening.”

Severus groaned. “Am I truly that obvious? I can’t help it. I haven’t had this problem since I left Hogwarts myself as a student. I haven’t been in a relationship myself since I was a student at Hogwarts. I haven’t even had a fling since I left Hogwarts. My main problem, other than the age difference, lies in the fact that Harry has told me that he has never had a boyfriend. How can I reconcile myself to the concept that I could be Harry’s first? It’s truly daunting. As much as I want to have a relationship with Harry I don’t want to cause him any problems.”

Remus smiled. “Severus, with every relationship there is always some risk. I had the same problem when I started dating Sirius. I had never been in a relationship before and Sirius was the most popular boy in school. There was also a significant amount of opposition from both of our families. In fact, the only person who supported us was Sirius’ Uncle Alphard but we carried on our relationship regardless. We’ve been together for over twenty years now.”

Severus was quick enough to have picked up on what Remus was saying or rather hinting at. “Are you saying that if I went ahead and started a relationship with Harry that you would support us? I’m more than aware that Harry’s father and Black are against the idea and Mrs Potter has seemed less than enamoured with me this evening. I’m also rather ashamed that I listened in on a conversation between Harry and his parents – I believe James was trying to get Harry to leave his job here.”

Remus sighed. “James and Sirius have changed very little in their prejudices since they were students at Hogwarts. They are very set in their ways and in their likes and dislikes. Sadly, they haven’t grown up and still can’t stand you from our Hogwarts days. Even worse, over the years, James has slowly brought Lily round to his way of thinking. Whilst they have both told Harry that they accept him being gay, I believe that they still hope that one day he will bring home a girlfriend and tell them that he is engaged and settling down.” He looked up at Severus, noting that the other man looked uncomfortable. “Don’t you dare use that as an excuse. The most important thing is for both you and Harry to be happy. Harry deserves that more than anyone and I believe that you deserve it as well. Now, I can hear Harry and Lily coming back from the kitchen so I will leave things there but I want you to promise that you will at least consider giving things a go.”

Severus nodded. “I won’t promise anything, but I will definitely consider taking things further with Harry.”

Within seconds of Severus finishing his sentence Harry and Lily walked back into the room. Both men immediately noticed that things were slightly tense between the two of them and that Harry looked less than happy. Severus hated the fact that he was overcome with the urge to wrap his arms around Harry and not let go until he was smiling once again. The two older men shared a glance and Remus stood up immediately.

“Right, well I’m afraid that I think it’s time for Lily and I to make our exit. I’m afraid that it’s been a long day and we still need to book into our hotel for the night. Severus, thank you for your hospitality and thank you for a wonderful meal Harry. If I didn’t know better I would say that your cooking has improved. Do you want to walk down to the hotel tomorrow morning and meet us there?”

Harry nodded. “That would be great Uncle Remy. Are you sure you want to go though? You don’t want coffee or anything? Do you know how to get to the hotel?”

Remus chuckled. “You’ve turned into a real mother-hen since moving up north little one. We’ll be absolutely fine. Why don’t you come to the hotel about ten thirty tomorrow morning? Will you be awake by then?” 

Harry nodded before opening his mouth to speak but was cut off by Remus speaking again. “Severus, thank you for this evening. It was a real pleasure to get to know you. I have to admit, after Sirius it’s pleasant to have an intelligent conversation with someone about what I do!” As he spoke he held out a hand to shake with Severus. He then moved onto Harry, wrapping him in a huge bear hug. “Good night little one. We’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Remus then dropped his voice so that only Harry could hear his next words. “Don’t worry about your mum too much. I’ll talk to her tonight and see what I can do.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was now just over a week until Christmas and to Severus’ surprise, Harry was showing no signs of leaving for the holiday and going home. Severus had tried to broach the subject more than once but if he was truthful he had no idea what to say or how to start. He had to admit that there was a part of him that was hoping that Harry would stay at the Grange for the duration of the holidays. It had been many years since Severus had had anybody to spend the holidays with and, even when his father had been alive, Severus had preferred to spend the festive period alone rather than with Professor Tobias Snape. Whether Harry would be spending the holidays in Whitby or down in London with his parents and godfathers Severus had bought the younger man several presents; his presence had proved invaluable in the last few months.

They had finished the research side of the novel just over a month ago and Severus had got down to the task of starting writing his manuscript. If he was truthful, he had no idea what Harry had been doing with his time now that he no longer needed to do any research. However, Harry had spent most of his time in his private study or in the library and only emerged to run the house; taking care of the cooking and the cleaning. Severus had to admit that he had no complaints about the younger man’s skills. If anything, Harry’s cooking abilities seemed to be improving and the house was always spotless. The same went for his research notes; they were all legible, clearly written, ordered and all relevant. 

That evening, over dinner, Severus decided that he had to ask Harry about what was happening over Christmas. The young man had thrown together a hearty stew that was just perfect for the freezing cold weather; unless Severus was mistaken, Whitby would be having a white Christmas that year. They barely said a word as Harry served the food but as soon as Severus took a mouthful he moaned aloud.

“Harry, I didn’t think your cooking could get any better but apparently it can. This is wonderful! How am I going to cope when you go home for Christmas? At this rate I think I’m going to starve!” ‘Well, that wasn’t how I was planning on asking him if he was staying for the holidays but I think it probably worked’.

Harry fiddled with his cutlery for several long minutes, ripping a bread roll to pieces at the same time. “Erm, actually, you’re not going to have to starve. I was planning on staying here for the holidays. That is, if it’s okay for me to stay here? I mean, I don’t know if you’ve got plans or people coming or anything and I don’t want to intrude on anything but I’d just rather stay here. Would you mind?”

“Harry, of course I wouldn’t mind. I’m more than happy for you to stay at the Grange for the festive period. Far from intruding on anything – I haven’t any plans whatsoever; I was simply aiming for a quiet holiday. I have to admit that I am curious as to why you’re not going home….it was my understanding that Christmas was a time for families. Why are you not spending time with yours?”

Harry’s reluctance to answer Severus’ question gave him the answer that he wanted. Harry wasn’t spending Christmas with his family because of Severus. He voiced his concerns immediately. “Because of me. You’re not spending Christmas with your parents or your godfather’s because of me. 

Harry agreed with his statement reluctantly. “Yes, I’m not going home because of you or rather you’re part of the reason in that I’m not going home because my parents, Uncle Siri and I disagree about you.” Severus didn’t need to ask Harry to elaborate as he carried on talking. “Dad and Uncle Siri still aren’t happy that I’m working for you. They didn’t want me to take the job in the first place and I think they were hoping that I’d give up after a while. Mum’s concerned for other reasons but I also think that she’s annoyed that I didn’t go to university straight away like all the other kids in my year. Hell, I think mum is annoyed that I’m living up here in virtual seclusion with you and no sign whatsoever of a girlfriend or of friends. She never really understood that I had no friends at Hogwarts. The only person who’s being vaguely supportive is Uncle Remy. He really liked you when they came up to bring the books and things.”

“Oh Harry, I’m so sorry. Why did you never say anything?”

“No offence sir, but there wasn’t exactly anything you could do about it. I had already turned down my places at university even before I got this job so it’s not exactly your fault. Whilst mum accepts that I’m gay she would still prefer that I was ‘nice and normal’ and settled down with a girlfriend. Besides, you’ve heard the weather reports; I’ve always wanted to have a white Christmas – I never used to stay at Hogwarts during the holidays, barely anyone did.”

“What about presents and things?” Severus was suddenly extremely relieved that he had gone out and purchased several presents for Harry.

“Oh, I’m going to meet Uncle Remy in York in two days. He has to come up for a meeting with one of the professors there. Apparently they want him to come and give a series of lectures and he wanted to discuss things with the Head of Soviet History. I’m meeting him for lunch and we’re going to do a present swap then – he said that he had some things for me from mum and dad. Please, you’ve already said that you don’t mind me staying for the holidays, can we just leave it there and eat before the food goes cold?”

“Of course we can, I wouldn’t want to waste the food. It’s wonderful as always, where on earth did you learn to cook?”

“Mum and Uncle Remy taught me. James Potter might be my dad but he’s still a chauvinistic pig. It’s his opinion, and Uncle Siri agrees with him, that it’s a woman’s job to do the cooking and the cleaning. Dad and Uncle Siri like the fact that they can simply come home from work and there will be dinner on the table. Of course, Uncle Remy does the cooking for him and Uncle Siri but he refuses to do all of the cleaning. When Uncle Remy’s away lecturing or on a book tour Uncle Siri either lives on baked beans or lives at mum and dad’s. I’m so sorry; I’m just babbling complete and utter rubbish.”

“It’s fine Harry. Don’t worry about it. I have to admit that it’s rather nice hearing a bit more information about you. I always get the impression that I know absolutely nothing about you yet you’ve been living here and working for me for six months.”

His response was a quick shrug of the shoulders. “To be honest sir, there isn’t really that much to know. I’m not that interesting.”

Severus wanted to protest but guessed that he wouldn’t really get that far and besides, he was enjoying the food too much to allow it to go cold. He also rightly thought that he now had the entirety of the next fortnight to get to know Harry. Rather childishly, he found himself hoping that there would be enough snow to facilitate the two of them being snowed in at the Grange for several days. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Two days later, with Harry safely on the train to York for the day, Severus made his way to a local farm with the intention of buying a Christmas tree and a holly wreath for the front door. He also ventured into the town in order to buy some decorations for the tree and to pick up a couple of extra presents for Harry. As Scrooge-like as it sounded, Severus hadn’t had a Christmas tree at the Grange since he had moved there about a decade ago. He refused to go extremely over the top but was determined to make the days special for Harry.

By the time that Harry arrived back from York and from the station, the tree was situated in the snug and pre-decorated in a colour co-ordinated scheme of green and silver. The colour scheme extended to the presents already lying beneath the tree, with the following day being Christmas Eve. The silver and green wrapped presents were joined by several wrapped in paper that looked like an explosion of holly, snowmen and Christmas puddings. These parcels had arrived in the post for both Severus and Harry and Severus knew that they had been sent by Albus Dumbledore. Just as he set the last present under the tree Severus heard the door open just before Harry called out.

“Dr. Snape? I’m back. I’m sorry I’m later than I thought but the snow’s starting to fall fairly heavily now and there were a few delays on the train. Are you ready for dinner? I put some potatoes in the oven and pre-set it so they should be cooked by now. Oh, and I brought you back some cakes from Betty’s.”

As he heard Harry’s footsteps making their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, Severus was suddenly struck by how domestic things sounded between the two of them. It was the exact same situation that Harry had described as his parents having. The thought gave him a shock and also a rather warm, pleasant feeling that he didn’t really want to dissect. He heard Harry coming back up the stairs and called out to him.

“Harry? Can you come into the snug for a minute please?”

He heard the soft thud of footsteps coming back up the stairs and along the corridor before he heard the gasp that proved Harry had entered the room. Severus swung round to see Harry’s face alight with the same expression as when he received Severus’ gift on his birthday.

“But, that wasn’t there this morning. When did it arrive? Did your presents come in the post this morning?”

Severus shook his head in disbelief. ‘Is Harry truly that naïve? Or is he completely un-selfish?’

“I went and picked the tree out this morning. If it had just been me for the holiday then I wouldn’t have bothered but I didn’t want you to go without a Christmas tree. As for the presents, the ones in silver and green are yours and I believe Albus has sent us a gift each.”

Harry’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “You got me presents? You didn’t have to do that. I’ve got some presents for you though. I’ll just go and get them.”

Harry quickly left the room but reappeared within minutes carrying a fairly bulging bag. Severus arched an eyebrow and Harry grinned sheepishly.

“Don’t worry; they’re not all for you. There’s my presents from mum, dad, Uncle Siri and Uncle Remy. Oh, and Uncle Remy said that there are a couple of presents for you in there from him.”

Severus was stunned. “Not that it isn’t very thoughtful of him but why is your godfather giving me Christmas presents? I’m relieved that I got him something and posted it.”

Harry looked up from where he was placing presents under the tree. “You bought Uncle Remy something? What?”

Severus waved a hand dismissively. “It’s of no consequence. I merely bought him the biography of an eminent historian. Your godfather has been extremely helpful on a matter that I needed advice on.” To his relief, Harry didn’t push any further and simply finished placing the presents underneath the tree.

Once he had completed his task Harry stood up again and turned to Severus.

“Are you ready for dinner now? It won’t take me long to heat everything up, I hadn’t planned on anything fancy.”

“Okay Harry, that would be wonderful. Talking of fancy, I don’t want you to go overboard with food over the next few fays. It’s just the two of us remember. When your mum and Remus came in the summer you cooked so much food that we were eating the left-overs for almost a week.”

Harry blushed at the teasing tone and suppressed a small giggle. “Okay, so I won’t cook as much food as I did then but half of that was because I was nervous. I’m not going to go overboard but just because it’s the two of us doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be special. I’m still intending on cooking a Christmas dinner.”

“Christmas dinner?”

Harry smiled cheekily. “Yes, Christmas dinner. You know, as in turkey and the trimmings. I made the Christmas pudding weeks ago. It’s not Christmas without the proper pudding. I was planning on doing some baking tomorrow. Nothing crazy but just some mince pies. I’ll just go and get dinner ready.”

As he watched Harry leave the room, Severus sat on the sofa with a dull thump. He was just starting to realise what he was letting himself in for spending Christmas with Harry.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time darkness fell on Christmas Eve Severus’ childish wish had manifested itself and the Grange was completely snowed in. The snow had started the night before and had fallen steadily throughout the day causing the temperature to drop rapidly. In order to combat the low temperatures, rather than retreat to the library after their dinner they instead retreated to the snug where Severus had lit a log fire. The light coming from the fire and lights of the Christmas tree were incredibly relaxing and, combined with the feeling of being replete after good food, meant that Severus found himself falling asleep ridiculously early. After he had woken himself from a light doze for the third time Severus admitted defeat and stood to go to bed. Half-asleep and with his brain not working at full capacity he wasn’t thinking when he pressed a kiss to Harry’s forehead and murmured “Good night” before exiting the room. It was only when he was halfway up the stairs that he realised what he had done and felt like slamming his head against the wall cursing his stupidity. He couldn’t believe that he had been so thoughtless. Admittedly, he had wanted to do a lot more than just kiss Harry’s forehead for the last six months.

Since Remus and Lily’s visit in early August he had done a lot of thinking on the idea of pursuing a relationship with Harry and had ruthlessly weighed up the pros and cons multiple times. Eventually he had come to the realisation that he had absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain but he still withheld himself from taking any further steps. He told himself that he would give Harry more time to meet people, make friends and even find himself a lover. However, they were now at Christmas Eve and Severus was running out of excuses. Harry still spent all of his time with Severus or simply at the Grange. There had been no sign of any new friends or a boyfriend. Indeed, Harry seemed perfectly content with the domesticated life that he had at the Grange. It was this that hardened Severus’ resolve; over the course of the next few days he would approach Harry with his desires to deepen the pre-existing employer-employee relationship into one that exists between two lovers. His decision made but knowing that nothing productive could be done that evening he carried out his normal nightly ritual before changing into warm, black pyjama bottoms and crawling underneath the thick winter duvet.

On the floor above, Severus’ movements were being mirrored by his assistant. As soon as Severus had left the room, Harry had put the fire out, relaid it for the following morning and followed Severus up the stairs, still in a state of shock. Harry may not have had any romantic experience but he was by no means unintelligent. He had felt Severus’ dark gaze following him for some time now and was secretly rather pleased. Over the last six months Harry had come to dearly love the isolated life that he led at the Grange. He had tried to make friends with the local teenagers but after several highly disastrous attempts he had given up. at the urging of his godfather he had been on several dates and had enjoyed them but ultimately confessed to both himself and Remus that, as strange as it seemed, he had fallen for Severus on the first day when the older man had accused him of being spineless. The previous day, over tea and cakes, Harry had spilt his heart out to Remus and had been completely taken aback. Rather than berating Harry for even contemplating a relationship with a man old enough to be his father, Remus had simply smiled knowingly and said he wondered when Harry was going to admit it.

Harry had sat and gaped as Remus had explained that he had known since he and Lily’s visit in August and that not only was Harry attracted to Severus but Severus was attracted to Harry. This made the teenager even more speechless. He then proceeded to listen, tears in his eyes, as his godfather told him, in no uncertain terms, that Harry would always have his support regardless of his decision. It was this that gave Harry the push he needed. His decision had been made and he was going to tell Severus how he felt. At least, having been snowed in, the older man had nowhere to run to. With that thought foremost on his mind he crawled under the blankets to drift off to sleep.

The next morning when Harry awoke it was still dark outside and the snow was falling steadily. Dawn was just coming over the horizon and so he crawled onto the wide windowsill wrapped in his duvet so that he could watch the sun rise over the snow. Feeling more excited than he had expected to be he pulled a dressing gown on over his pyjama bottoms and shoved his feet into warm slippers before making his way downstairs as quickly as possible. He put a large pot of coffee on and took it upstairs with him and into the snug. Once there he started the fire to heat the room and turned on the lights for the Christmas tree, simply sitting there with a mug of coffee sat in his hands. He was so entranced that he failed to notice Severus until the older man sat down on the couch.

“Is there anymore of that coffee?” Severus rasped, black eyes looking slightly bleary and unfocused.

Harry smiled, knowing that Severus couldn’t function in the mornings until he had had several large cups of strong black coffee. Harry poured a large mug of steaming hot strong coffee and scooped up the empty pot moving towards the kitchen. Once there he placed some croissants in the oven to heat through and started some scrambled eggs and bacon before putting a fresh pot of coffee on to brew. As soon as it was ready he placed it all on a tray and carried it up to the snug.

“Breakfast’s ready!” He sang, barely suppressing a giggle as Severus glared at him. “It’s tradition at home; this is always what we have for breakfast at Christmas and we always have it while we open our presents. Oh, I brought you some fresh coffee.”

As he spoke, Harry took Severus’ now empty mug and filled it with the ambrosial nectar. Almost immediately Severus’ glare disappeared.

“Harry, you are an angel. Go on! Open your presents.” He gestured towards the sizeable stack under the tree.

Harry shook his head resolutely. “No, I’ll wait until you’re more awake and then we can open them together. I’m not a three year old who has to open all of their presents first as quickly as possible. I’ve waited since sunrise, I think I can wait a bit longer.”

Although his voice had taken on a teasing tone by the time he had finished speaking there was no denying the sincerity of his words. Even though he would deny it, Severus’ couldn’t help but be touched that Harry cared enough about him to wait so that they could open their presents together. Two cups of coffee later, having demolished the breakfast, Severus was wide awake and deemed ready to open presents by Harry.

As Harry crawled underneath the tree to retrieve the presents that had been pushed to the back, Severus’ couldn’t fail to notice his delectable arse that was just peeking out from underneath his dressing gown and was eternally grateful for his loose-fitting gown. Soon enough they each had a stack of presents in front of them and to Severus’ surprise Harry’s pile was smaller than expected whilst his was not as pitiful as he had assumed it would be.

Harry started opening his presents from his parents, leaving the ones from Severus until the end. As he did so, Severus started opening several from former colleagues that he hadn’t realised had arrived. Soon they each had a sizeable stack of presents in front of them; books, gift vouchers, Harry had some clothes from his parents while Severus had his annual pair of sock from Albus, this year in neon yellow. 

It was at this point that Severus realised that the only presents Harry had left to unwrap were his own. All of a sudden he was hit with a rush of insecurity as to whether or not his presents were suitable. Even though a great deal of thought had gone into each of the presents, suddenly they seemed insignificant. After what seemed like an age, the four presents were laid out in front of Harry. The leather-bound copies of Dracula and Frankenstein, the first books Harry had picked up in the library at Snape Grange. The huge box of Harry’s favourite chocolates. A box set of Tchaikovsky’s complete symphonies including the melancholic sixth that Harry listened to on repeat and finally, the book of recipes from Whitby’s finest fish restaurant that Harry adored.

Harry was silent for such a long time that Severus presumed that his choices had been disastrous. He was, therefore, wholly unprepared for Harry to throw himself at him in a manner rather akin to a human cannonball. The younger man landed soundly in Severus’ lap, arms wrapped around his neck and planted a kiss firmly on Severus’ cheek.

“Thank you! They’re wonderful. I love them all!”

“Really?” Severus turned his head and realised just how close proximity the two of them were in.

Harry’s reassurance, when it came, was rather breathless. “Really.”

At this point Severus’ brain ceased to function and he concentrated solely on the sensations running through his body. Realising just how right Harry felt in his current perch he leant forward and pressed his lips against Harry’s. Harry responded with a whimper almost immediately, tentatively returning the pressure. Severus forgot momentarily that Harry was utterly inexperienced and pulled him closer with a moan, swiping his tongue along the seam of Harry’s lips until he got the hint and opened his mouth to allow Severus’ tongue entry.

The kiss continued until both men felt that their lungs were about to burst, the way that they were burning with the need for more oxygen. Slowly, unwillingly, they parted and Severus’ gaze was immediately drawn to Harry’s mouth, already slightly swollen from the kiss they had just shared. Dragging his eyes upwards, he met the verdant green orbs that were positively sparkling. Severus unconsciously relaxed, taking it as a sign that his actions hadn’t been unwelcome. Searching Harry’s gaze for any hesitation and upon finding none he tilted his head and captured Harry’s lips once more. This time there was no hesitant response and the kiss was gentler but no less passionate. Severus felt hands entwining in his hair and pulled Harry closer in response. 

When the kiss finally broke, Harry buried his face in Severus’ neck, nuzzling and planting kisses along the older man’s throat and jaw-line. Not knowing what he wanted to say but knowing that he needed to say something, Severus cleared his throat.

“So….”

Harry’s head immediately snapped up. “So? Don’t tell me you’re going to apologise for doing that? Or say some rubbish that it’s not suitable for us to be involved. I’ve been waiting for months for you to do that.” Harry blushed before he spoke again. “I was kind of hoping that we’d get snowed in so that it would just be the two of us.”

Severus gave a true smile, his heart feeling a lot letter. It seemed that Remus had been right and that a relationship could quite easily blossom for him and Harry. He leaned over and kissed Harry lightly on the lips. “I had no intention of saying anything like that. As strange as it may seem this is the problem that Remus has been advising me on?”

Harry looked confused, “Advice? From Uncle Remy? About what?”

It was now Severus’ turn to blush. “Advice about you. I discovered a long time ago that I was attracted to you and your godfather worked it out when he and your mother came to visit us in August. I admitted that I wanted to pursue a relationship with you but there were some issues that I was concerned with. After several long conversations, he convinced me that the issues weren’t troublesome and were indeed, more beneficial to us than problematic.”

He stopped talking as he noticed that Harry was looking more than slightly dazed. “Harry, are you okay?”

“You were attracted to me? And not just for a fling or an affair. You actually wanted a relationship with me?”

Severus inclined his head. “That is correct. I have been attracted to you ever since I saw you standing on my doorstep with Albus. It’s not that I wanted a relationship with you past tense, it’s I do want a relationship with you present tense.”

Harry smiled beatifically and asked in a teasing tone “Severus, are you asking me to be your boyfriend?”

Severus adopted a haughty look. “I am not asking you to be my boyfriend. Do I look like the kind of person who has boyfriends? I am asking you to be my lover.” He raised one eyebrow. “Well? I’m not going to wait around all day for a response.”

Harry’s response was a whispered “Yes” before he reached up and planted his own kiss on Severus’ upturned lips. 

It wasn’t by any means a kiss that would break records for length or passion, instead it simply reaffirmed what they felt for each other and confirmed that they were going to try and make a relationship work. Pulling away before they got too carried away, Harry settled himself firmly against Severus, his back to Severus’ chest and his arms over Severus’ that were wrapped around his waist.

“It’s time for you to open your presents now.” Harry stated, in a tone that brooked no response and pulled the midnight blue wrapped packages.

At the younger man’s prompting Severus opened the packages and stared in amazement at what he had received from his assistant. Before him sat a beautiful boxed set of Shakespeare’s Histories, the complete Mahler symphonies (a favourite of Severus’ whilst he was writing), a new silk shirt identical to his black one but this in a deep aubergine colour and finally a selection of different flavoured coffee. He was incredibly touched that all of the presents had been obviously selected with him in mind, a lot of thought going into each of them so that they were things that he used on a regular basis or would be likely to use. He couldn’t help himself from claiming Harry’s mouth in gratitude.

Much to Severus’ chagrin, with the exception of a large dinner mid-afternoon, they spent the rest of the day acting like hormonal teenagers, not even bothering to change out of their sleepwear. Well, in their defence one of them was a hormonal teenager but Severus had hoped that he would have achieved more self-control at his age but it was apparent that his self-control was shot to pieces whenever Harry was in close proximity. As such, most of their day was spent curled up on the sofa together in front of the open fire enjoying the carols that were played on the radio, kissing intermittently and reading their new books. 

As darkness fell and the hour grew late, they eventually made their way upstairs having let the fire go out on its own. Severus found himself highly surprised when, instead of giving him a kiss goodnight and retreating to the floor above, Harry met his gaze confidently and, hands laced together, pushed open the door to Severus’ bedroom and walked backwards pulling Severus along with him coming to a standstill just before the bed.

Severus unlaced their fingers and cupped Harry’s face in his large hands. “Harry, are you positive about this? I am not going to be offended if you go upstairs and sleep on your own tonight. This moves at your pace, I’m not going to expect you to go out of your comfort zone, let alone on our first evening together.”

Harry shook his head. “I know that. I know that you don’t expect anything and I appreciate that but I want this. I want you. Yes, this will be my first time but all I’ve ever wanted is for it to be with someone that I love and I do love you. I’ve loved you since I stood on your doorstep and you called me a ‘spineless idiot’. I love you Severus Snape and I want you to take me to your bed and make love to me.”

Severus leaned down and kissed Harry soundly on the mouth. “I love you too Harry and there is nothing that I would desire more than to have you in my bed tonight. I will not force you to do anything though. You change your mind, you’re uncomfortable with anything then you just tell me, I’ll stop and we can just sleep. Okay?”

Harry nodded and allowed himself to be pushed backwards until his knees hit the edge of the bed. Smiling shyly and clinging to Severus so that he wouldn’t fall backwards he tipped his head backwards and, eyes fixed on the black orbs staring at him, he stood on tip-toe and pressed his lips to Severus’. The kiss started out gentle but gradually became more and more passionate as hands reached up and tangled in long hair. Harry’s eyes flew open and he moaned loudly as Severus pulled him closer and then slid his hands inside Harry’s dressing gown. The older man’s hands felt as though they were burning Harry, his skin was that sensitive. 

Within seconds the dressing gown had been pushed off Harry’s shoulders to slip down his body and pool at his feet. Before Harry had even registered what had happened Severus had scooped him up and laid him back on the bed. Harry simply laid back and watched as Severus stripped off his dressing gown and pyjama pants revealing a body that was pale as marble and lean rather than skinny, having put weight on due to months of Harry’s cooking. Severus leaned over the bed and, one hand on either side of Harry’s head, kissed him while lying on the bed, stretched out alongside Harry. Harry whimpered, feeling as though he could climax simply from the sensations. For Harry, who was essentially a complete innocent the experience was already close to overwhelming.

Taking in the slender young body next to him and determined to make things last and make things memorable for Harry he started to leisurely explore Harry’s body with his hands. He was amazed by just how responsive Harry was. He was truly wanton; he squirmed deliciously under Severus’ hand and was incredibly vocal. In the midst of a litany of ‘please’, ‘more’ and ‘oh god’ he seemed to struggle for what to call Severus causing the historian to smirk.

“I believe that we are now at the stage where it’s more than suitable for you to call me by my given name. Being called ‘Dr.’ in bed has never been a kink that I’ve subscribed to.”

Harry burst into giggles at the sarcastic comment only for the giggles to dissolve into a moan as Severus set about tracing the path his hands had taken with his tongue. As he reached Harry’s nipples he bit down lightly before soothing the hurt with his tongue; the exquisite combination of pain and pleasure causing Harry to arch up into Severus’ mouth. Smirking wickedly he set about completely destroying Harry’s composure and by the time he reached Harry’s leaking cock he had succeeded; Harry was pretty much incomprehensible. 

Severus wasn’t completely unaffected either. He had had a boyfriend whilst at Hogwarts, an older student named Lucius Malfoy and then another whilst at university studying for his bachelors degree in Chemistry but that had reached its disastrous conclusion shortly before the Christmas of his first year. He had never been one for flings or one night stands and so, with the exception of the occasional date, he had been celibate essentially since he was eighteen – the same age that Harry was now.

Knowing that, with it being Harry’s first time, it would hurt regardless of how careful Severus was and how much he had been prepared Severus knew that he had to get Harry as relaxed as possible and he also knew the best method. Slowly, he slid even further down the bed until he was directly in line with Harry’s groin. Then, holding Harry’s hips down firmly and keeping his eyes locked on lust filled green orbs he slowly engulfed Harry’s cock in his mouth. Immediately the hips bucked upwards involuntarily making Severus glad that he had hold of them. Slowly he pulled back, letting it slide out of his mouth with an audible pop. He then started nibbling and licking, revelling all the while in the noises that were escaping Harry’s mouth in the form of mewls and whimpers. Even Severus’ name had fallen by the wayside in its full form and had become the abbreviated Sev.

Harry couldn’t believe how good he currently felt but his ability to form coherent thought was rapidly diminishing with every lick and nibble. As Severus took his deep into his throat Harry arched his back and his hands moved from where they had been fisted in the bed sheets to fist themselves in Severus’ hair, holding the older man in place. It didn’t take long for Harry to start babbling.

“Please, please. Oh god! Sev! Sev, I’m coming!”

With smug satisfaction Severus felt Harry explode in his mouth before he swallowed the fluid and crawled up to kiss Harry deeply. When he pulled back he realised that his objective had been realised and Harry was boneless with pleasure. Looking incredibly shy he reached for Severus only to look hurt when Severus pulled back.

“It’s nothing to with you love. We have plenty of time for that later. I’m only than you and as much as I would love to I don’t have your stamina. Besides, when I come tonight I have every intention of being buried in your delectable arse.”

The words went straight to Harry’s oversensitive cock which was rapidly showing interest once more. As Harry watched, Severus reached over and pulled open the top drawer of the bedside table and removed a tube of lubricant. Without thinking Harry’s body tensed slightly and Severus smoothed a hand over his chest to relax him again.

“Hush, don’t panic. I’ve already told you that we will take this as slow as you want. You want to stop at any point and you just tell me. Okay?”

Harry nodded. “Okay, now will you just kiss me?”

“Demanding little brat aren’t you?” Murmured Severus, already leaning down to oblige him.

“Oh yeah, but I’m your brat.”

“Indeed,” was the only answer before both were slightly pre-occupied.

Once Harry had relaxed sufficiently after several long minutes of trading kisses Severus unobtrusively moved one hand from its location on the small of Harry’s back and flipped the cap before drenching his fingers. Making sure that Harry was still distracted by his kisses he brought his hands down to Harry’s arse and slowly started to probe the hidden pucker with one finger. As soon as the tip of his finger breeched Harry’s hole Harry’s eyes flew open and he ripped his mouth away from Severus’ with a yelp.

He continued to whimper slightly as Severus inserted his finger before removing it and returning with a second, the two scissoring to stretch Harry’s passage. The addition of the second finger caused Harry to whimper even more.

“I’m sorry, I have to do this. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Slowly, Severus withdrew the fingers and recoated them with lube before reinserting them with an additional third finger. This time he angles them slightly and knew that he’d hit the nub he was searching for when Harry whimpered again, this time in pleasure and pushed himself back on Severus’ fingers.

“Oh god! What’s that?”

“Welcome to your prostate Harry.”

From then on it was only a matter of minutes before Harry was impaling himself on four of Severus’ fingers. Slowly, still with his fingers buried in Harry’s arse Severus used his other hand to tip the lube over his cock and coat it sufficiently. He couldn’t remember being this turned on ever. As he withdrew his fingers he lined his cock up with Harry’s stretched pucker and spoke to him.

“Harry, this is probably going to hurt at first but you need to relax and push back against me. Okay?”

Harry nodded, obviously trying to relax.

Severus looked at him thoughtfully. “It might be more comfortable for you if you were on your hands and knees.”

“No!” Harry looked slightly panicked. “No, I want to be able to see you.”

Severus kissed him reassuringly before pushing his knees up to his chest. “That’s fine, just keep your knees up.”

Slowly, almost excruciatingly slowly, Severus started to inch his cock into Harry’s arse. Harry’s face became a pained grimace as Severus filled him to the brim but after a hesitation he pushed back as Severus had instructed him. Eventually, Severus was completely encased in Harry, his balls pressing up against Harry’s stretched hole.

“Oh fuck! Harry, you’re so tight. Are you okay?”

Harry gasped slightly, completely overwhelmed at the feeling. “Okay? Severus you didn’t tell me you were going to stick a cricket bat up my arse. Damn it, don’t apologise, don’t move!”

“My pleasure.” Severus grinned and started to thrust so that he was nailing Harry’s prostate with every stroke.

He started moving slowly but he soon speeded up his movements as Harry shoved himself back onto Severus’ cock moaning “Harder” and “Faster”. 

Severus obliged him, thinking all the while that his months of fantasies had nothing on the real thing. He also noticed absently that the flush did extend to the rest of Harry’s body. His mind was jolted back to reality as he felt Harry’s legs wrap around his waist facilitating a much deeper penetration. Severus was starting to realise just how wanton Harry could be and just how much he could teach Harry. He was also more than delighted at just how debauched Harry was becoming under his hands. The younger man had always seemed so proper and straightlaced but as Severus pounded into him he words that streamed from his mouth were a litany of cursing, cussing and pleas for more. Severus gasped and then moaned as Harry clenched around him, feeling as though he would strangle Severus’ cock, and he realised that he wasn’t going to last much longer. He tangled the fingers of one hand with Harry’s and snaked the other hand between their bodies and grasped hold of Harry’s cock. Roughly he started to jerk it in time with his thrusts as he claimed Harry’s mouth in a bruising kiss.

Harry pulled his mouth away with a wail. “Sev, I’m so close. I’m coming! Sev!”

Mere seconds later he was coming over the hand fisted around him howling Severus’ name. Severus couldn’t withstand the muscles clenching around him and tipping him over the edge as he moaned Harry’s name. 

He slowly pulled out of Harry and stood, before grabbing a wet cloth from his en-suite. Harry lay completely satiated on the bed making Severus feel incredibly smug. He walked over and lay back on the bed and used the washcloth to remove all traces of their lovemaking before pulling Harry into his arms and covering them with the duvet. 

Harry immediately burrowed in as close as was physically possible, nuzzling into Severus’ neck. Severus reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Harry’s waist and throwing his leg over a slender hip. 

“Thank you Sev’rus. That was wonderful. I love you.”

“I love you too Harry. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas.” Came the whispered response accompanied by a kiss to the side of his neck.

As Harry quickly dropped off to sleep, Severus realised that as much as he couldn’t stand his barmy ex-employer he had a lot to thank Albus for. If it weren’t for his meddling he wouldn’t have the wonderful gift currently in his arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Harry stared in shock at the parcel that Severus had just handed him. He knew what lay inside the simple brown paper package and was curious as to why the older man wanted him to open the parcel holding the newly printed novel. Severus had finished his latest novel several months ago and had sent it to his publishers for them to edit and design the cover. Harry tried to pass the parcel back to Severus, still unsure as to why his employer would want him to see the book first.

“Severus, it’s your novel. You should be the one who opens it. I didn’t do anything.”

Severus shook his head, and gestured to Harry to open the parcel. “That’s not true and I think that you know it. I couldn’t have written this novel without you. You helped more than you think; if it hadn’t been for you and your wonderful research then this story would never have come to life.”

Harry flushed bright red and ducked his head in embarrassment. He sat down in what was now regarded as his chair in the library and started to open the package. As with all parcels and presents that he received, he took his time and carefully pulled off the string and unwrapped each end rather than simply tearing the paper. He opened the paper and lifted out the book hidden inside. The title ‘The Path to Heaven’ was embossed in gold on the top of the cover with Severus’ name printed at the bottom. At Severus’ urging Harry opened the cover to the title-page and gaped in shock.

There, in black and white, was something that he had never expected to see;

‘For Harry;  
My muse, closest friend and lover,  
Without whom none of this would have been possible.’

He looked up at his lover of the last six months, since Christmas, verdant eyes glittering. “Severus! I don’t believe it. Is this why you wouldn’t let me read any of the manuscript whilst you were still writing it?” 

Severus simply inclined his head. “It is indeed. Of course, there is another reason why I wouldn’t let you read it whilst I was still writing it. Harry, take a few hours off and read the novel. You’ll understand once you’ve finished reading it.”

Harry looked confused but nodded his agreement. “Ok, I’ll read it. I’ll go upstairs and read it.” He stood up, book in hand, and stared at Severus. “Are you sure that you want me to read it now?” 

When Severus nodded Harry simply shrugged his shoulders and pressed a quick kiss to Severus’ lips before leaving the room. Once he had left, Severus sank down into his chair, uncharacteristically nervous.

Over the past three months Severus and Harry’s relationship had gone from strength to strength. Since getting together on Christmas Day they hadn’t spent a single day apart. As Remus and Harry had predicted, Lily, James and Sirius had hated the fact that Harry was in a homosexual relationship. They hated the fact that Harry was in a relationship with Severus more than the fact that he was gay. As a result, none of them had been in touch with Harry since Christmas. They hadn’t even bothered to reply to Harry’s thank you notes. Harry had spent several days in floods of tears, completely inconsolable, so devastated that not even Severus had been able to comfort him.

However, having taken Remus’ advice on that first visit to heart, Severus was for once feeling incredibly secure in a relationship. Harry had indeed flourished in their relationship and he wasn’t afraid to voice his opinions even when they differed from Severus’. Shortly after the New Year Harry had revealed what he had been doing since he had finished the research material for ‘The Path to Heaven’. He had been accepted by a prestigious European university to study for his undergraduate degree in history via correspondence. They had a highly respected course that focused extensively on the crusades and had accepted Harry due to his incredibly high exam results. He had emailed all of his coursework through to his lecturers and his exams had been administered at York University so that there was no danger of cheating and by all accounts, he had done so well that he was practically guaranteed a first. Severus had initially been concerned that Harry was missing out on university life by staying in Whitby but the young man had been adamant that he didn’t want to leave Severus and the older man hadn’t the heart to refuse him.

Indeed, the two of them had been inseparable since Christmas Day. After that first night Harry had moved into Severus’ bedroom leaving his as another spare room but keeping his own study. So, whilst Severus worked on the final manuscript Harry had locked himself in his study to complete his essays and then to revise for his exams. All the time that he had worked on the novel Severus had been paranoid about not letting Harry read any of it. He was feeling much more insecure about this work than any of his previous novels. Part of this reason was the fact that he had never written anything like this before but the majority of the reason was the fact that he had invested so much of himself in the novel.

It had turned out to be the story of an English lord who takes the cross for Richard the Lionheart during the thirteenth century and endures the months of travel to reach the Holy Land with only his young squire for company. The novel covered politics, religion, social issues and of course, the battles of the crusades themselves once they reached the coast of what had been termed the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’. Unusually for Severus though was the fact that the novel also featured a love story. Whilst his previous novels had focused on singular characters and often their grasp for power ‘The Path to Heaven’ was fundamentally a love story between the lord and his squire. To anyone reading the novel who knew Severus and Harry it would be patently obvious who the lord and the squire were based upon. Physically the characters were identical to Harry and Severus and the path that they followed was similar to that which Severus and Harry had followed to get to where they were.

His publishers had adored the work and predicted that Severus would receive his best reviews and best sales yet. They had requested more works of the same ilk and had suggested that he write a series of novels based on the crusades featuring the duo. Severus had remained noncommittal, reluctant to sign his life away before he had the opportunity to fully enjoy Harry. With the novel finished and due for publication soon as soon as the promotion trail was over (and it would be minimal at best for Severus hated the things with a passion) and Harry had received his exam results, Severus intended to whisk them away to visit the locations featured in the book. He was aware that it was highly uncharacteristic of him but he had discovered that he reacted differently where Harry was concerned.

For several hours he whiled the time away somehow, he wasn’t completely sure. He paced a lot, started and abandoned numerous books and was nauseous even contemplating the food that Harry had prepared in readiness for their lunch. He was just grateful that Harry was a quick reader and that it was mere hours before he heard footsteps on the stairs. He turned slowly and steeled himself for the feedback, restraining himself from fidgeting with nerves. He was heartened by the wide grin on Harry’s face but was unsure whether the sheen of tears in verdant green eyes was good or not.

Still holding the book tightly, Harry walked up to Severus, stopping mere inches from him.

“It’s us.” He whispered, reaching up one hand to trace Severus’ sharp cheekbone. “The story, it’s ours just set in the crusades. That’s why you didn’t want me to read it. Because I was the squire and you were the lord who’d fallen in love with him.”

Severus was unable to speak around the lump in his throat so Harry simply carried on talking. “I can understand why you didn’t let me read it when you first started writing it, because you didn’t want me to suspect anything but why didn’t you let me read it when we started a relationship? I love it by the way. I think it’s probably the best thing you’ve written so far, and not just because I’m in it!” 

His slight teasing made Severus relax and he looped his arms around Harry’s waist and tugged him closer. “I think you know why I didn’t let you read it afterwards. I wasn’t as secure in our relationship then as I am now. My soul is on those pages; every insecurity, every hope and every desire. I was too reluctant to let you see in case I got burned.”

“And now?” Harry’s face was tilted up to stare at Severus.

“And now, as ridiculously and hideously sentimental as it sounds I know that I’ve also traversed the path to heaven and found it in you. I never believed that I would truly be so lucky as to have someone like you in my life. I know that I’m not the easiest man in the world to live with and there will be times when I am truly hideous to live with and I might not be able to express my feelings all the time but they are imprinted on the pages of that book. Everything I feel for you will be read around the world by people from every walk of life. If anything, you need never doubt that I love you. You are my everything Harry.”

Harry simply leaned up and kissed Severus in lieu of replying. “I know. I understand that it’s difficult for you to say but I’m probably going to say it enough for the both of us. Besides, you were always better at the showing rather than the telling. Care to show me?”

“Oh, it will be my pleasure to show you.” Severus purred, already starting to work on the buttons down the front of Harry’s shirt.

Harry squirmed, protested slightly. “Sev, we’re in the library. We can’t do this here. Uncle Remy’s going to be here in a bit. He was going to come up and take us out as an early birthday present for me.” Harry’s head lolled back as his shirt fell open and Severus latched onto his neck, raising a deep purple love bite. “Oh fuck, Severus we can’t have sex in here.”

Severus smirked. “On the contrary love, we can do whatever we want. This is my house. Besides, I quite want to fuck you into the floor on this rug and watch you blush and squirm later when we’re in here talking to your godfather and all you can think about is me having my wicked, wicked way with you here. Besides, we need to get the practise in.”

“Practise?” Harry gasped, his brain starting to go fuzzy as Severus licked and bit down his torso.

“Mmm, practise. This summer, it’s just going to be you, me and the path to heaven.”

 

THE END


End file.
